# How long do things last in your household? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 1, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143 "2004-01-01T18:08:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/1 "2004-01-01T18:08:41Z")
How often do you have to replace your everyday household supplies? I live alone in a one-bedroom apartment, but my boyfriend visits nearly every day. Milk: A gallon every week to ten days Bread: A loaf every two weeks Paper towels: About a month Dish soap: Six months or more - I have a dishwasher and only need to use the dish soap on my vintage dishes that aren’t dishwasher-safe. Toothpaste: Six months. I use gel instead of a tube so that might effect it - I think there’s less gel in a bottle than paste in a tube. Shampoo/Conditioner: Three months-ish. Butter: I’ll have the same stick of butter in the dish for three weeks at a time. My biggest butter consumption comes from baking. I usually have to buy a pound a month unless I’m going to be doing special baking projects - for example, I bought three pounds for Christmas. Cheese: I bought a quarter of a pound of cheese once, intending to use it for sandwiches. I ate four slices and forgot it in the deli drawer of my fridge for three months. A pound of bacon, on the other hand, lasts exactly one night. A pound of bacon and four homemade biscuits is a pretty common Sunday night dinner for me and **Gunslinger**. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/2 "2004-01-01T18:13:10Z")
Milk - only buy when I need for a recipe, then save the remainder for coffee. So usually 3 days or so. Bread - one loaf a week Paper towels - don’t buy Dish soap (washing-up liquid) - a month Toothpaste - a month Shampoo - a month Conditioner - Several months, I only use it once a week Butter - a month Cheese - two weeks for the sliced kind, a couple days when I splurge for the good stuff 🙂 Also live alone in a one-bedroom. No boyfriend. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/3 "2004-01-01T18:19:59Z")
How long do things last in your household? How often do you have to replace your everyday household supplies? I live alone in a two-bedroom apartment. Milk: I buy 1 litre bottles and often throw them out half used. Bread: As per milk. Paper towels: About a month Dish soap: 12 months or more for squeeze bottle of detergent. Toothpaste: Six months. Shampoo/Conditioner: Don’t use conditioner. Shampoo 3/4 months. Butter: Threw out my current margarine 2 nights ago. It had weird crap growing in it. Half used in 6 months. I don’t use it on bread mostly. Cheese: Up until about 10 minutes after I open the packet. Love it, can’t resist it, don’t try. Bacon: see cheese. A whole packet makes one good bacon sandwich. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/4 "2004-01-01T18:22:20Z")
How sad is this - I live alone, also live alone, I live alone. Oh, dear. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/5 "2004-01-01T18:22:33Z")
Oh, I didn’t answer the bacon question because I’m a vegetarian. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/6 "2004-01-01T18:28:17Z")
I threw the bacon in there as a Random Other - you could toss in some other item from around your house. ---
**Author:** ![ruadh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/d2c977/32.png) [@ruadh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ruadh)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/7 "2004-01-01T18:32:34Z")
OK. Coffee? I go through a 327g bag in about two weeks. ---
**Author:** ![karomon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@karomon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/karomon)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/8 "2004-01-01T18:49:12Z")
2-bedroom, 3 people (1 F, 2 M) Soap - two or three months, but we often have three or four of them out at a time. Toilet paper - two weeks per roll. Bread - I almost never buy it, but when I do, it almost always gets thrown out a month later, half finished. Milk - same as bread. Dish soap - two and half months. Shampoo - about three months, but, like the soap, we have a few different bottles out at a time. Butter - as long as half a year. Toothpaste - one month, same situation as the soap and shampoo. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/9 "2004-01-01T19:19:23Z")
I live alone and I’ve never really counted. I buy replacements as and when. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/10 "2004-01-01T19:49:49Z")
I live with my mom, dad and brother. I can’t tell you about some of the stuff cause I don’t go shopping for paper towels, but here’s what I got: Milk: I’d say we go through about 1 liter per day. Maybe a bit more. Bread: Couple of loaves per week. Toothpaste: Forever. 1 year maybe. That is, MY toothpaste, we each have our own tubes. Shampoo/Conditioner: About every 6 months. But I use those huge bulk bottles. Butter: Hmm… we don’t use it much. Maybe a stick per month. Cheese: Maybe 2 weeks per block. Random other: We use about one big container of cottage cheese per week. ---
**Author:** ![tremorviolet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47774/32.png) [@tremorviolet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tremorviolet)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/11 "2004-01-01T19:57:33Z")
> [@](#): > > How long do things last in your household? > How often do you have to replace your everyday household supplies? You know why everyone answering this question lives alone? 'Cause we’re the only ones wasting time one the computer New Year’s Day… Milk: Eeww, you drink bovine secretions? 🙂 Bread: Don’t eat bread Paper towels: Stock up and buy three rolls at a time which last several months. I use the Select-A-Size ones so they last longer. Toilet Paper: Am completely paranoid about running out and usually buy three or four 16-packs when my brand is on sale at Target. I always have at least an extra 16-pack on hand. Dish soap: Embarrassed to admit that I am still using the big botle I bought when I first moved to town nine years ago. Toothpaste: Six months is probably about right. Shampoo/Conditioner: Two months or so and I’ve recently started using the really expensive stuff I have to buy at the salon. Butter: Only buy when I have popcorn cravings (every year or so) and then I go thru a pound in under two weeks. Yummmmm, real butter popcorn. Cheese: I buy a pound or so of really good cheddar or swiss about every tow months but I rarely finish it before it molds. The thing I buy least frequently? Salt. I still have the cannister I bought when I first moved away from home almost 18 years ago. And it’s almost half full… ---
**Author:** ![furthur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecccb3/32.png) [@furthur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/furthur)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/12 "2004-01-01T22:11:26Z")
I, Mr. Furthur, and the two little Furthurs live in a 4 bedroom house. Milk: 3-4 gallons per week Bread: One to 1 1/2 loaves per week Paper towels: About two rolls a week Dish soap: Mmm. About three or four months for the liquid stuff; we go through the powdered dishwasher stuff – at least one large container per month. Toothpaste: One tube split between Mr. Furthur & I lasts about 4 or 5 months. Each little Furthur has her own tube, which lasts a good 6-8 months. Shampoo/Conditioner: Mr. Furthur is a pilgarlick, thus no shampoo needed. Little Furthurs: about 6 months or so for one bottle. Sometimes longer. For me, about 4-5 months (short hair). Butter: We buy a giant tub o’ Country Crock once every six months. Stick butter – we run through one or two sticks (1/2 c. each) per week. Cheese: We normally have 4-5 different kinds in the house at once. Shredded cheddar - 3 c. bag - last about 2 weeks. American slices amounting to a pound, about 2-3 months. Cottage cheese about 1-2 weeks. Toilet paper: 1 roll per DAY!!! I blame the little Furthurs. 😉 Cereal: 2-3 boxes per week. It’s insane how much we consume of everything. Mrs. Furthur ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [January 1, 2004, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/13 "2004-01-01T22:50:16Z")
If I don’t give you a little background, you’ll think we’re nuts! This is the situation: hubby and I have been on a carb-control diet for a year now (no white flour, refined sugar, white rice, white potatoes). We have three kids (all girls), ages 16, 12 and 4. Milk: 5-6 gallons/wk. Half, whole milk, half, 2% milk Bread: 2 loaves whole wheat/week, 2 loaves white/month (our 12-year-old will not eat whole wheat, the other two kids go back and forth) Paper towels: 1 jumbo roll/month. We use dish towels a lot for cleaning up spills and such. Dish soap: 1 lg. bottle/month. Toothpaste: We have about 3 different tubes open at any one time (everyone has a preference), so it’s pretty hard to say. Shampoo/Conditioner: At any given time, we have at least two bottles of each open, but I buy new shampoo/conditoner about every month, and a separate bottle of conditioning shampoo for the youngest, which lasts about 3 months. Butter: One of the things we _love_ about this diet is the real butter! We use about a pound a week. Cheese: Sliced, about a pound per week; shredded, about half a pound per week; chunk: every month we buy a two-pound block of extra-sharp. It usually lasts the whole month, and sometimes we even end up throwing a couple ounces of it away. Toilet paper: About 2 rolls per week (really, 4 rolls per week, cuz I buy the double-size to cut down on having to change them so often). Cereal: Whole-grain: 1 box per week; pre-sweetened, 2 boxes per month. ---
**Author:** ![hyperjes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/df705f/32.png) [@hyperjes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hyperjes)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/14 "2004-01-02T04:29:17Z")
Living situation: 2 people, 3 cats and 4 hamsters in a two bedroom townhouse. (Pets are important when it comes to cleaning supplies.) Milk: 1 gallon about every four days. I love milk. Bread: 1 loaf a week. Paper towels: 1 roll a week. Dishwashing liquid: 1 medium sized bottle every 3 months. Toothpaste: **d\_redguy** and I have different brand preferences. His lasts about 3 months. Mine lasts about 2 months. Shampoo/Conditioner: Him- 2 months. Me- 1 month. Butter: We buy huge tubs of margarine. They last about 6 months. I hate real butter. I know…I’m strange. Cheese: We use about 1 bag (8 oz.) of shredded cheese every two weeks. Packages of sliced swiss (18 slices) last around a week. American cheese…meh. I bet we’ve had the same package for 6 months. Toilet paper: 3 rolls a week. Various Juices: 1 gallon a week. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/15 "2004-01-02T06:38:26Z")
Milk: 1-2 gallons per week Bread: Less than 1 loaf a week. Usually it goes stale. Paper towels: About two rolls a week, if we have them. Dish soap: One every couple of months? I don’t know. Toothpaste: One tube every 3 months? Shampoo/Conditioner: One bottle every 2 months or so, I guess. Butter: A giant tub lasts months. Cheese: We have cheese out the wazoo. Shredded cheddar - 3 c. bag - last about 3 months. American slices amounting to a pound, about 2-3 months. Cottage cheese about 1-2 weeks. Toilet paper: 1 roll per day. Cereal: about a box a week, if we buy it. A package of salt would last me, literally, 5 years. We almost never use it. Pepper would probably last even longer. ---
**Author:** ![SnoopyFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d07c76/32.png) [@SnoopyFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnoopyFan)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/16 "2004-01-02T06:40:39Z")
That’s what I get for cutting and pasting and using someone else’s answers because they’re the same as mine, doh. We don’t eat cottage cheese, ever. _shudder_ Cottage cheese is the DEVIL!!! ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/17 "2004-01-02T17:03:59Z")
Live with the “alpha male” & 3 cats. Milk a gallon a week. Bread a loaf a week. Cheese, 3 lbs lasts about 4 months. The last roll of paper towels I bought was in 1969. Toothpaste 1 large tube a month. Dish soap small bottle a month. I hate dishwashers they make the dishes smell like a chemistry experiment. Bar soap 3 a month, less, if I could convince my husband to pick it up off the shower floor where it melts. ---
**Author:** ![Iteki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/eada6e/32.png) [@Iteki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Iteki)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/18 "2004-01-02T17:19:40Z")
I gotta ask, how does butter/marge/spread last 6 months? Is it not rancid at hell? The stuff in my fridge right now has a best before date about 3 weeks from now. ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/19 "2004-01-02T18:00:36Z")
There are 4 of us. Two adults and two teenagers. We shop in the Land of the Giants (namely Costco) and many of the things listed here are bought in bulk. Still, we go Costco shopping once a month. Milk-- A gallon a week. Bread-- On average, two loaves a week. Plus English muffins and bagels brought on a regular basis. Paper Towels-- A case lasts a month and a half Dish soap-- Huge gallon thingy lasts about 2 months Toothpaste-- a tube a week Shampoo/Conditioner-- Hubby and son: forever. Me and daughter: Double huge shampoo lasts about a month. Conditioner lasts a little longer. Butter: For baking goes as soon as I buy it. Tub of margerine lasts about 2 weeks. Cheese: A half a lb lasts one week. P.S. Teenagers eat a lot. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2004, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143/20 "2004-01-03T04:09:26Z")
Milk: I have to prevent myself from drinking too much milk because I love it so much and it gets expensive - on average, I’d say the two of us (mostly me) go through about 8-10 litres of milk a week. Bread: A loaf a week if we take the time to make lunches for school and/or work, but if we don’t, then its unlikely we’ll have any at all. In that case, we freeze it to make it last. Paper towels: Varies. A roll every week or so, but sometimes it lasts longer, sometimes less. Dish soap: We had a big bulk one that lasted about 14 months…we are working on a regular sized one, and its been a couple of months. We’ll see! Toothpaste: A tube every 2 months or so, I’d say Shampoo/Conditioner: Shampoo goes faster than conditioner - shampoo about one bottle a month, conditioner one every two months. Butter: Maybe a stick a month ? Cheese: A medium-sized brick of cheddar lasts us about a week. We often buy two at a time to be sure we don’t run out. Other types of cheeses (other than slices) disappears in a day or two! Toilet paper: one roll every 2-3 days, I’d guess. Cereal: Family-sized box per month, but then there are times when neither of us touch it for a week or so. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-do-things-last-in-your-household/222143.md?page=2)